(On March 24, 2023, I preached for the funeral of a dear Christian man from our congregation: John Christ. I pray that God’s message of sin and grace that so comforted John during his earthly life also comfort and strengthen you.)
I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen. (1 Timothy 1:12-17 NIV)
I’ve been blessed to serve as John’s pastor for two years. That’s not that long in the grand scheme of things, but it was long enough to hear everything. Really, everything. I remember one of my first visits with John. I usually plan to stay for about an hour. Three and a half hours later, I don’t think I had said more than ten words. He lived quite a life, and he liked to talk about it! North Dakota and Alaska and Montana and railroads and trucking and military and solar power and cattle and construction… I know that 69 years seems too short, but I think it’s safe to say John lived at least three or four normal lives in those 69 years. He had a lot of stories to tell.
But here’s something I noticed: He didn’t make himself the hero of those stories. I bet there was a time in his life when he did. I bet John could boast like the rest of us. But not when he talked with me these past two years. He was very open about his sins. When he talked about Deanna, he would say, “I didn’t deserve her. I don’t know why a woman like her married me.” When he talked about all his adventures, he would say, “I did a lot of things I shouldn’t have done. I didn’t live like a Christian.” When he talked about his kids, he would say, “I wasn’t a good father. I had issues I didn’t know how to deal with. I’m sorry.” When he talked about work, he would say, “I focused too much time on the wrong things.” 69 years and a massive stroke taught John humility.
He reminds me of the apostle Paul. Have you heard about Paul in the Bible? Paul is famous for being a Christian missionary. He traveled all over the world starting Christian churches. But he didn’t start out that way. Did you hear how Paul described himself? “I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man.” He wasn’t kidding. Paul had started out hating Jesus and hating Christians. He put as many Christians to death as possible. That was Paul’s past. He never forgot how he’d fought against God. He could honestly say, “I am the worst of sinners.”
I know that when some of you hear that, you roll your eyes. “Sin? Come on. You still talk about that here? We’ve moved past talking about ‘sin’!” You know who never said that? You know who took his sins seriously every single day? John Christ. Every Sunday at our church, we confess our sins. When I would look at John, do you know what I would see? Tears in his eyes. Almost every Sunday. We say, “I am by nature sinful, and I have sinned against God in my thoughts, words, and actions.” Tears. Do you know why? It was true. He knew it was true.
It seems more and more common today at funerals to boast about how great the person was… John would not want that. He was an open book when it came to his sins. As a young man, he did not follow God’s plans for sex and marriage. He admitted how often he got angry and how it hurt his relationships. He confessed how often he was impatient. How often he said things he knew he shouldn’t have said… Paul claimed that he was the worst of sinners. I think John would have argued with Paul about that. Every Sunday, he was ready to say, “I am the chief of sinners.”
But did you hear what Paul said about himself as the worst of sinners? “Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy.” That’s a concept that’s been lost in our world: Mercy. Even though Paul didn’t deserve it one bit, God had shown him mercy. “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance.” In other words, “Listen up! This is so important!” “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.” There’s an old hymn that John loved to sing based on those words: “Chief of sinners though I be, Jesus shed his blood for me.” “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.”
There’s a word for that: Grace. I know you’ve heard that word. Grace. Do you know what grace is? Grace is the undeserved love of God. The undeserved love of God. Grace is the most difficult thing for us human beings to understand. We think God loves us when we’re good. We think that God helps those who help themselves. God says, “No! I love you when you’re not good. I love you when you’re sinful. I love you when you can’t do anything to help yourself. Because my love is undeserved. It’s grace.” “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” That’s grace.
John treasured the grace of God. A life of struggles and sins and strokes led John to treasure the grace of God. Every Sunday, after we confess our sins, I as the pastor get to tell us that God has forgiven all our sins. You know what John would do when he heard God’s forgiveness, Sunday after Sunday? He’d have those tears in his eyes, remember? And I’d say, “I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…” And he would nod his head like this. And I could see him close his eyes and mouth the words: “Jesus forgave me. Jesus forgave me!” When you realize your sin, it opens this huge, amazing door to the grace of God.
Salvation, forgiveness, life, peace… They are not the result of our effort or our strength or our goodness. Salvation is found through believing in Jesus as your Savior. Through confessing your sins day after day and trusting that the blood of Jesus Christ shed on the cross has washed away all your sins. That’s why we can be confident that John is in heaven today. His salvation didn’t depend on John. It depends on Jesus. It didn’t depend on what John did or didn’t do throughout his life. It depends on the grace of God that God poured out abundantly on John with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. “Chief of sinners though I be, Jesus shed his blood for me.”
That’s why John grew to love God’s Word. Every Sunday he came to church. Every Wednesday he came to church. He didn’t have a car. He called and texted people for rides. He got Uber. He got Lyft. Sometimes, he and Bingo walked. It didn’t matter what the church service or Bible study were about. Salvation or Government or Marriage. He soaked it up. I think when you almost die as many times as John did, you learn to focus on what really matters. Our sin. God’s grace. John never forgot what he was. John never forgot what Jesus had done for him. He couldn’t ever get enough of the word and promises of God. He grew to love God’s Word.
Now, you might say, “You say that at everybody’s funeral.” No, I don’t say that at everybody’s funeral. Everybody’s different. Do you know how I can speak so intimately about John’s faith? Because he shared his faith with me. I have never had a church member share the gospel of Jesus with me like John did. Every time I prayed for him, he would keep going. He would pray for me. At unexpected times, he would text me, “Jesus loves you. Thank you so much for telling us about Jesus.” That’s not what most people do. I wanted to say to him, “What’s wrong with you? Nobody does this!” But he did. God had poured his grace into John’s heart, and it overflowed.
You know that. He did the same to so many of you. He would take the leftover bulletins after church and share them with you. He would ask for printed copies of my sermons and share them with you. He would knock on your door to see how you were doing. He texted you with encouraging messages. When he lay in hospital beds, he would ask his nurses if they believed in Jesus. When he went to Braums, he would start talking to the server about his faith and his church, and he would keep going, even when there was a long line of people behind him.
Because John knew something. Paul’s story of sin and grace isn’t just John’s story. Paul’s story of sin and grace is your story. And it’s my story. The timelines and plotlines are different. Our lives are not as exciting as John’s was. But every single one of our stories is ultimately the same. Our sin. God’s grace. And the salvation found in Jesus. You have sinned against God too, and you know it. No amount of lies or ignoring or denying makes sin go away. Each one of us can join Paul and John Christ in saying, “I am the worst sinner I know.” But God loves you with his undeserved love in Jesus. Remember what that’s called? Grace. If you’re a sinner, Jesus came to save you. Because “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” That means you!
John always loved the Bible’s picture of a shepherd and his sheep. We, like sheep, have gone astray. But Jesus, our Shepherd, took our sins to the cross and died for us. And then he seeks us. He doesn’t give up. Jesus seeks you. Maybe you think you’re too far gone. No way! Christ Jesus has “immense patience.” Christ Jesus has grace that pours out “abundantly.” I can hear John Christ saying Paul’s exact words, “For that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.” If God could save John, he could save you.
You want to honor John? You want to make John proud? Find a church that teaches the true Word of God. Find a church that teaches the truth about our sin and God’s grace. And then go. Every Sunday. Every Wednesday. Every opportunity. When it’s raining, turn on the windshield wipers. When you don’t have a car, text your friends. No matter what your past has been like, learn to treasure the grace of God. How do you handle losing your beloved spouse of 40 years? By the grace of God. How do you find the strength to recover from a massive stroke? By the grace of God. How do you deal with the past? By the grace of God. You want to honor John? Then cling to Jesus and his promises. Chief of sinners though I be, Jesus shed his blood for me.
John liked to tell a story about lying in his hospital bed two years ago. He wondered why he was still alive. As he lay there, it suddenly hit him. A Bible verse: “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). That was it! It didn’t matter how fully he recovered. It didn’t matter how much time he had left. It didn’t matter what he could or couldn’t do. He had a purpose for every day of his life: “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”
We get to see that every time we walk into our church. As John talked about building this church building, I could tell there was one thing that he was most proud of: The cross. As construction went on, he would take pictures of the cross. When the light catches it, it is the most beautiful thing. Because that’s what it’s all about: The cross of Jesus. Whoever believes in Jesus has eternal life. Like Paul. Like John Christ. Like you and me. You can have hope today, because “here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” “Chief of sinners though I be, Jesus shed his blood for me. Died that I might live on high. Lives that I might never die. As the branch is to the vine, I am his and he is mine.”
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